Stop Trying to Be Perfect

[Stop Trying to Be Perfect](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) Current Teaching Series [Good News About Grace](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) [Listen to Today's Broadcast](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) [Stop Trying to Be Perfect](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) By Rick Warren — October 6, 2018 [Facebook](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) [Twitter](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) [Pinterest](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) [Email](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) [Devotional image from Rick Warren](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) ”If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (Ecclesiastes 11:4 TLB). When you learn how to relax in God’s liberating grace and break out of the prison of perfectionism, you will find a new level of joy and freedom in your life. Why? Because perfectionism is destructive to your life in several ways. - It defeats your initiative. Have you ever had a project you haven’t been able to get started? You think, “One of these days I’m going to get around to it,” but you just can’t take that first step. One possible reason is perfectionism. You’re waiting for the perfect circumstance or timing, or you’re waiting until the kids get out of school, or you’re waiting until a certain amount of money comes in. When you set your standards so high, perfectionism causes paralysis, and you can’t get anything done. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 11:4, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (TLB). - It damages your relationships. Nobody likes being nagged or corrected all the time. It’s frustrating and irritating! The Bible says, “Love forgets mistakes; nagging about them parts the best of friends” (Proverbs 17:9 TLB). Perfectionism—the desire to always correct—damages relationships because it’s rooted in insecurity. Perfectionists who are harsh and demanding on other people are really harsh and demanding on themselves. - It destroys your happiness. Ecclesiastes 7:16 says, “Don’t be too virtuous, and don’t be too wise. Why make yourself miserable?” (GW). This Scripture isn’t talking about genuine righteousness or real wisdom. It’s talking about perfectionism. You can transform any virtue into a vice by taking it to the extreme. Your worst nag lives under your skin, because you are your own worst critic. (That’s true for all of us!) Since we tend to resent and even dislike people who nag us, if you’re always nagging yourself, what does that say about you? It says that you don’t like yourself. You think you’re not good enough. And you think reminding yourself what’s wrong with you is going to motivate you into doing the right thing. It’s not! That’s called perfectionism, and it causes you to constantly put yourself down. There’s just one antidote to perfectionism. It’s not in a self-help book or a doctor’s office. You can only learn to relax when you fully experience the liberating grace of God.[PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) Talk About It - Where do you struggle most with perfectionism? What do you need to let go of so you can move forward? - Why is it important for you to be able to relax? What does it say to people who are not followers of Jesus? - What negative thoughts about yourself do you need to replace with God’s promises and truth about who you really are? [Facebook](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) [Twitter](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) [Pinterest](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) [Email](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r [Our Gift: Choose Joy Devotional Book](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) Joy is a daily choice. But when you go through difficult times, joy becomes hard to sustain. It’s a choice you have to make minute by minute. In her inspiring Choose Joy devotional book, Kay Warren offers 30 short readings that will empower you to choose joy, no matter what you’re facing. You’ll be encouraged by powerful Scriptures, a reflection from Kay and a short prayer for each devotional—to help guide you closer to the Lord. Find out how to live with joy even when . . . • Your plans are shattered • Your health fails, or • You feel like you're walking through life alone. [LEARN MORE](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) Includes 6 full-length teaching CDs from Pastor Rick's series Good News About Grace. [LEARN MORE](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r [Series Summary](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) Session 1: Saving Grace Session 2: Sustaining Grace Session 3: Liberating Grace Session 4: Offering Grace Session 5: Restoring Grace Session 6: Living in God's Amazing Grace [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r)[Twitter](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) [Instagram](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) [Linkedin](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) Enjoy today's Devotional? [Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio.](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r) This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at [pastorrick.com](JWUId4CNQ:m:1:2618166767:1A976ECAC021412E380DD643865CC36D:r). Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life, which has been translated into 137 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered around the world. This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. 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